If you’r new to restoration projects, you should read this. And if you have been trough a project or two, you might want to read this as well. We all start out on a new project the same way. Up front we have lots of energy, expectations on the rapid progress we will make, and some of us even predicting the completion date. We have all been there. But how many of us really see a project get done the way we have laid it out. After all, there’s this great hobby & then there’s the rest of life that always gets in the way. The unanticipated extra time spent at work, the kids little league, the family get together & of course, the family pet that needed costly emergency care.

It all adds up to time delays, putting project plans on hold & having to use your project funds on other needs & obligations. Well, I’m no different than any other restorer hobbyist when it comes to these issues. But over time & with the experience gained on every restoration project, no matter how big or small, I've learned (the hard way) to put it all into prospective & get my passions under control. When you find your pastimes & hobbies, no matter what they may be, keeping you up all night, or isolating you from your family, friends & pets it just might be time to put down the wrench & turn off the compressor for a while!

After all, that tractor with the four flat tires & stuck engine, or the rusty shell of a mower deck have been in that condition probably for the last five, ten or maybe twenty years. So you might want to slow down a little & think about it. That is think about why you restore & collect tractors! For the fun of it I would hope. Unless your life is absolutely problem free & you need something to worry about, ask yourself why you’re pushing so hard.

Every year, we lose more & more already rare, costly & hard to find equipment & parts to abandoned restoration projects. Whole tractors & attachments become victims of tear downs, incomplete or improper repairs, lost parts & destroyed parts due to lack of knowledge or improper use. Much of this equipment was at one time in the care of well meaning, well intentioned individuals. Unfortunately, most of it was in the hands of those over zealous individuals with firm action plans, time tables & self imposed do or die scenarios.

So what happens to all this equipment & the people behind it. Most of it ends up scattered about the boundary lines of the owner’s property. Or in an effort to recover some cost, it goes to auction in bits & pieces. Or worst of all, the scrap iron dealer is called in to haul it away never to be seen again as a tractor or a mower deck. But rest assured it will end up as someone’s fry pan or toaster oven! And beyond the lost equipment & it’s history, is the would be hobbyist restorer-collector. Most folks that I have talked to that have abandoned a project have also abandoned their interests in this hobby as well. Many of these folks are left with nothing nice to say about this hobby. After all, no one likes to discuss their failings.

Many of these well intentioned folks never took the time to understand what they are faced with when they make a decision to take on something that is in most cases obsolete by thirty years plus, the hunt for parts & information, the time it consumes & the overall investment in tools. Not to mention your willingness to get really greasy (the part that I like best), the need to read & learn & perform dozens of different mechanical operations & to be willing to wake up in the morning with aches & pains in places you never knew you could bring aches & pains too!

When people abandon a hobby, or anything else because of a bad experience, it can cause others to become discouraged or never get involved at all. The only thing I do on my wife’s car & on my own for that matter, is just change the oil every three thousand miles. My wife can’t understand why I won’t do more on our vehicles when they need attention to repairs. It’s easy to understand. Like I tell her, I hate working on cars! Just can’t stand it. I tell her take it to Al’s garage, our car repair guy. Before you take on a project, you really need to consider if it’s the kind of thing you can get involved in & stay with it until completion. If working with your hands & getting down in the trenches as they say is not an appealing thought, then maybe restoration is not for you. But if you still have a desire for ownership & collection & restoration, you might want to team up with a fellow hobbyist or repair shop that can support your efforts & do the jobs that you care not to handle.

There’s no rule that says you must do everything 100% yourself. Most of us can’t or don’t own the necessary equipment to do everything that may have to be done. If you need to rebuild an engine, but you don’t have all the specialized tools & machinery it takes, then you would be much better off engaging a engine rebuild shop or a machine shop that you feel comfortable working with. Find a shop that will discuss your concerns & needs & have an understanding of what you want to accomplish. In these situations, you still take a very active position. You will probably have to provide a lot of the data the shop needs. You may also find yourself having to research & source some of those specialized engine parts that are no longer available off the shelf. Giving a task out to another individual or shop does not mean your giving away your project. It’s still your project and you remain in control of it. Before you ever do your first project there are a number of things you need to consider which I will try to lay out for you here. And if you’ve done a project or two, but are not getting the satisfaction from it that you should be getting, you might want to consider these points as well before your next project.

First consider the scope of the project. What is needed, seen & unseen. Are you willing to invest funds in which you may never recover. Are you willing to work at it for a long time. Notice, I’m not saying you should work at it every day & night or weekend. But are you willing to work at it long term on your schedule & desire. Are you good at keeping notes, researching products & history. Is there a place where you can keep long term your project & protected from the elements & from the curious so no parts are disturbed or lost.Start small if this is your first. Don’t tear down a two cylinder model A tractor for you first project if you have to ask what a two cylinder model A is or how do you start the engine. Also, the rougher the condition of the project tractor the more difficult & costly the project may be. Decide what your end objective is. Expo grade restoration, or restore to factory standards, or just get it running & have fun with it. This generally dictates the time & cost to a great degree. Keep your expectations in line with your skills & your wallet.

Don’t go at it alone. Even the very best & highly skilled need help & encouragement to get over those tuff spots. Join friendly web sites like Jerry’s Deere Barn & other member friendly web sites. Seek out the advice & experience of others with the same interests as yours. Go to tractor expos & events. They are really fun & that’s what this is suppose to be about, fun! And if you find out this is not for you, please do not abandon any equipment you may have collected over time, no matter how insignificant you may think it is. Guaranteed there is someone out there in need of what you have to bring their project closer to completion. Put a classified ad on a group site or auction site. Sell it or pass it on, But don’t let it be lost in the field or the scrap yard!

Happy Collecting & Restoration!